Silver and Gold Crayons
by chiharu-tanaka
Summary: Fanfic50@livejournal challenge: 50 drabbles of Riku x Naminé, and of their lives after Kingdom Hearts 2. Chapter 11: First day of school, and she feels left out. UPDATED
1. 01 Heart

Author's Note: I'd like to first say that this is the craziest thing that I've ever done. I hope you enjoy the story, and I do hope you review! My writing skills has spiralled downwards since 2006, so I hope it's still readable to you guys.

Disclaimer: Me no own Kingdom Hearts.

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001 - Heart

_Kingdom Hearts has mercy on the innocent..._

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The immensely huge structure towered over them. Who knew that Kingdom Hearts was still there, at The World That Never Was? Surprisingly, it was still accessible via gummi ship.

Riku scratched his silver head. Why was he here again?

A quick look around at the spiky-haired boy that took control of the ship, the mouse with the round ears that shot away the flying meteors, the duck yelling at the pilot, the tall dog chuckling, and the red-haired girl in a pink dress stroking her amber-furred pet dog reminded him.

It all began that morning when King Mickey came over with Donald, Goofy and Pluto in his gummi ship. Sora was excited to ride it again, despite them ending the action just two months ago. Kairi was also delighted at the thought of travelling across worlds, since the form she was used to was warping though dark portals.

Sora, who was at the pilot's seat, suddenly changed his behaviour from his silly, nuisance-making one, to a more sombre tone, telling them that they were heading for The World That Never Was. He was swarmed with replies of 'It's not there anymore!' from most of them, including Riku, but they were interrupted by Kairi, who insisted that they go.

Fighting their way to the top was no big deal, since Sora, Riku and Mickey were Keybladers, while Donald and Goofy had their own experience in battle. Even Kairi knew how to use her flowery Keyblade 'decently', as Sora had put it.

"I'm sorry I dragged you guys here. It's just that…" began Sora, walking towards the glowing Kingdom Hearts before turning back to see his crew. "This is going to sound crazy, but…I heard Roxas' voice inside my head. He told me to come here, because Kingdom Hearts wanted to see him."

Kairi nodded as she joined Sora up front. "I heard Naminé's voice too, and she said the exact same thing. I don't know why we heard them, but we're here to find out."

Riku crossed his arms as the brunette and the redhead turned to look at Kingdom Hearts. The large heart glowed brighter, and Riku was astonished as the rest of the gang when two beams of light suddenly shot Sora and Kairi in the chest.

"Sora! Kairi!" they yelled.

The two lost their balance for a while, but stood straight once again. Then, the most incredible thing Riku, or anyone present there for that matter, had ever seen happened. A glowing, ghostly figure of Roxas and Naminé walked out of Sora and Kairi's bodies, holding a brilliant pink-coloured heart in their hands.

Sora and Kairi were even more astonished by this occurrence, and a bright light shone which blinded the spectators radiated when the two Nobodies fused the hearts into themselves.

When the light disappeared, Roxas and Naminé stood in front of them, solid and real as a human being – as a Somebody.

"Whoa!" exclaimed King Mickey. "What just happened?"

Roxas walked towards Sora and gave him a hug and a slap on the back, while Naminé was already in Kairi's embrace. "Kingdom Hearts called to us. She told us that she has mercy on the innocent."

Riku stepped forward to meet Roxas, the boy he had gone through so much just to capture. "So now…you both have your own hearts?"

The boy grinned as he let go of the flabbergasted Sora. "I guess so."

Naminé was in tears at the fact that she now was her own person, not somebody's shadow. "Don't cry, Naminé," said Kairi, who had developed a strong friendship with the blond-haired girl when she rescued her.

"I'm just…so happy…" said Naminé in her dreamy, gentle voice. She raised her head, and her tear-filled blue eyes met Riku's aquamarine ones for a second, before he looked away.

After the whole process of hugging, congratulating, and talking came about, the gang retreated to the gummi ship, where Sora, the pilot, had asked the two ex-Nobodies a question. "Where to?"

Roxas smiled at the thought of his friends in the virtual Twilight Town, and had always hoped that he could meet the real them for once. "I think I know where I belong – in Twilight Town."

Sora nodded, and off they went at the speed of light. Upon arriving at Twilight Town, Roxas departed with his friends with a hug from each one of them, except Riku, of course. "We'll visit you sometime," said Kairi, smiling at the blond-haired boy.

Once they were back in the gummi ship and into space, Mickey turned to Naminé. "What about you, Naminé?" he asked.

"If it's okay with you guys," said Naminé. "I'd like to follow you back to Destiny Islands. It's the place I feel most…at home."

Riku looked at the little artist that had ducked her head shyly as she avoided his, and everybody else's, eyes. Perhaps she felt guilty and ashamed to be treated this well, even when they knew of her crime of messing up their memories.

But they had forgiven her, and it was a power she did not want, but was created with. Other people misused that power of hers, and she was the one who bore the guilt and sins for their misdeed.

Once the ship landed in Destiny Islands, they parted ways with Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Pluto, who left for their home in Disney Castle. Naminé smiled in glee as she felt the sand in her feet, for real this time, and not in her dreams.

"C'mon, let's play!" said Sora. "I know you've been dying to play at the beach."

Kairi shook her head and grabbed Naminé's wrist before she could take off her blue sandals. "Nuh-uh! You're not going anywhere until you put on some sunblock! I don't want your fair skin to darken, like mine," she said, giving her a bottle of sunblock from her pocket.

Riku followed them to the beach and watched as they played in the water and made sandcastles like little children. His blue-green eyes watched Naminé, the salty wind in her hair, her feet drenched with sea water as she laughed, for the very first time, from her heart instead of her forced conscience. He felt his heart flutter at her smiling face.

And when she stopped laughing to look at him, to run to him and take his hands, pulling him to the waters, he knew, she knew, and the other two knew what Naminé's given and blessed existence meant.

Life on Destiny Islands will never be the same again.


	2. 15 Temperature

A/n: Thanks for the reviews! Though I know the Kingdom Hearts section is a bit dry these days thanks to the absence of a new installment to the series (but 358/2 days and Birth by Sleep is coming soon! Yay!), I hope to see more feedback in the future. Until then, I'll keep entertaining you with my drabbles!

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts belongs to the amazing Tetsuya Nomura.

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**015 - Temperature**

_Island weather is bad for an indoor artist..._

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When Kairi had called him on the phone, they were in a situation that was totally uncalled for. _Naminé is sick_.

Riku frowned as he made his way to Kairi's house. The strangest thing happened when Naminé first entered the home. Her parents were astonished at the resemblance between the two girls and it was nothing less than a miracle that Naminé had been officially adopted into Kairi's family.

The redhead didn't complain, as she was an only child – she always wanted a sister. Naminé was very shy at first, since she was getting used to her new family, friends and Destiny Islands.

"Where are you going, Riku?" asked his mother as he was about to walk out the door to visit the ill Naminé.

He scratched his silver head. "I'm going to visit Naminé. You know, Kairi's new sister. She's sick," he explained nonchalantly, about to turn the doorknob when his mother stopped him.

"Hold on just a minute, young man!" she called, before grabbing some freshly trimmed white roses from the garden – thorns removed – and gave them to the lad, who looked at her with widened aqua eyes.

"Mom!" he yelled.

"Now, now, it's good manners to bring gifts when you're visiting a sick person. Send my regards to her; I hope she gets well soon," she said, before opening the door and lightly pushing Riku out of the house.

That's how Riku ended up standing like a complete fool in front of Kairi's house, holding roses in his hand. He breathed out a heavy sigh before ringing the doorbell. Whoever answered the door didn't matter to him, as he knew a lot of embarrassment was underway.

He was met with a worried Kairi when she opened the door, but that expression soon changed into glee when she saw the flowers in his hand and the look of humiliation his face. "A little nice today, aren't we?" she teased as she let him in.

"Oh, shut up, Kairi. Mom told me to take these."

Kairi led him to Naminé's room, which in a few days, was decorated with Naminé's sketches on the white wall and furnished with a table, chair, wardrobe and the bed she was lying on.

The blond-haired artist was fast asleep, with a glass of water, a box of pills and a small basin on the bedside table. She was covered with the white and pink quilt, with a cloth on her warm forehead. The sound of the door opening woke her up, as she groggily opened her clear blue eyes.

"Nami," said Kairi, who had become attached to her new sister. "Riku's here." Naminé responded with a weak smile as she saw Riku standing beside her bed. "I'll leave you two alone," said Kairi, before leaving and closing the door behind her.

Riku pulled up a chair and sat beside her. "These are for you," he said rather awkwardly. "I hope you get well soon. My mom sends her regards."

Her smile never left as she got up slightly, letting the cloth drop and took out her arms from under the quilt, covered with a long-sleeved shirt, to take the roses. She sniffed it, but couldn't, thanks to her runny nose. She grabbed a tissue from the box that sat with her on the bed and wiped her nose clean.

"Thank you for coming all the way here," she said, sniffling. "And for the roses. They're lovely."

Riku was glad she liked the unexpected gift. But there was a strange feeling in his heart as he saw Naminé in that dishevelled state. Her blond locks were a mess; she was wearing a winter jumper in the summertime, her nose was red and runny, her eyes watery and there were damp crumples of tissue on the bed and floor, and some in the dustbin near her.

"I must look awful," she said, before taking yet another tissue.

Riku shook his head. _I don't know why, but I think quite the opposite, actually…_

"Give yourself a break. You're sick, after all. Did you take your medicine yet?"

She nodded. "I was just about to sleep when you came."

There was silence, before Riku said, "Your drawings are still all over the wall, as usual," he said, remembering the times she was in the manor, in her little white room. "You had this many done in a few days?"

"Well, I was excited that I was really here instead of just seeing it in memories. So I drew, a lot. The enthusiasm kept me up, and I think that's what caused my illness – lack of sleep, never-ending exploration, and the temperature."

Riku smiled. "It must be really hot here, for you. After all, you're used to staying indoors."

She nodded and coughed out of the blue, covering her mouth just in time. "Sorry," she said, sniffling again.

"No, I should be sorry. You need your rest," he said, getting up and letting her lie down. He placed the cloth in the basin, wrung it, combed her bangs aside and replaced it on her forehead. Riku covered her in the quilt and watched her blue eyes look up at him, as glassy and clear like a pool of water.

It was then, by some sheer power he couldn't explain, that he leaned forward to kiss her cheek, quickly but tenderly. She gasped. "Riku!" she said. "You'll get sick too!"

He ignored her warning. "I'll come visit you tomorrow," he said, looking down at her with his blue-green eyes, which reminded Naminé of the sea she had grown to love. "Until then, get some rest and take your medicine."

She nodded slowly, and he tucked her nicely with the quilt before leaving the room. Naminé closed her eyes, feeling her nose getting more watery, and her cheeks flaming with a heat that surely was not because of her fever.

A smile grew on her dry lips. _Hopefully that doesn't show up on the thermometer…_


	3. 03 Cold

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! (Though I expected more, what with the recent English installment of KH:CoM out and all, so I thought the KH world would be up and running like old times...) Don't be shy, just tell me what you really think! I don't bite! You can even give me ideas of your own: visit my table at fanfic50 at livejournal.

** FYI, there's a very important poll on my profile that relates to this fic. Please visit my profile to vote! (Hint: It's about Namiku having a kid) **

Disclaimer: Tetsuya Nomura is the father of Kingdom Hearts. Enough said.

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**003 - Cold**

_Even rain was cold for her. But she'd bear it - or get him sick again._

_

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_There was an awful feeling in Naminé's stomach. Her face was flushed and she was embarrassed to be standing at the pier with him. 'You got him sick, and after he gets better, you want him to row you to the island so you could draw? You selfish little girl!' she chided herself.

The silver-haired lad got sick a day after visiting her, ending up bedridden for a day or two with a bad fever. 'And it's all because he kissed me on the forehead when he knows he's not supposed to!'

Riku was undoing the ropes that anchored the boat to the pier, and Naminé fiddled with her dainty little fingers, looking down at the new blue sandals that Kairi recently got her. She was also wearing a sleeveless, thin-strapped sundress in a pastel peach hue – her new sister had complained about her worn-out white dress.

When his sea-green eyes met hers, she blurted out what was in her mind. "I'm so sorry, Riku, for getting you sick, and for making you take me to the island since Kairi's away in the city with Sora and the rest for a couple of days…and for making you miss that city trip!"

Riku sighed. "I don't mind, really. Stop worrying so much. I've been there a lot, there's nothing interesting to see. Besides, I just got better," he said.

Naminé had her lips pursed, but muttered a soft 'thank you' before getting onto the boat. Riku climbed in soon after and they sat on opposite ends. "I think I should teach you how to row a boat, since you're gonna live here and all," he said. She nodded, thinking that if she knew, she'd be less of a burden to everyone else.

He instructed her to lift the two oars at the sides of the small boat, and to row it in circular motions so that they would move towards the island. Although she had no problem rowing at first, she got tired once they were halfway across. The lad sighed again. "Let's switch. Give me the oars."

It took Riku just a few more minutes to get to the island, to Naminé's embarrassment, but he was a native of the island, so he'd row faster than she could. She bit her lower lip tenderly. 'It's not fair, since he _has_ biceps…wait, what am I thinking?!'

Once they were on the island, it didn't take long for Naminé to discover the secret hideout belonging to Sora and Kairi. Riku chuckled as he walked behind the curious Naminé, who had a chance to explore now that Kairi's prying eyes were not on her. "The drawings!" the blonde exclaimed when she saw the rough chalky sketches made upon a large stone by the younger Sora and Kairi of themselves, feeding each other a Paopu.

Naminé crouched down to get a better look at it. She smiled bitterly at the memories she forcefully got from Sora, and how they had made the precious mark on the stone together. "Did you know about this place?" she asked Riku.

She heard him scoff from behind her. "Of course. It's just that I didn't want to interfere with the lovebirds' little secret, so I pretended like I didn't," he said, before walking up and crouching beside her.

"Were you…jealous?" Naminé asked again, out of curiosity, but gasped when she realised how sensitive it was, since Riku liked Kairi. "I'm sorry – I take that back…I didn't mean…"

Riku smiled. "Yes, I was. I felt like a third wheel. I still do. But I'll find someone else. I just don't know if there is one."

"Don't say that…" said Naminé, suddenly touching his arm out of empathy. "I was never even meant to live, yet I was given this chance to live, and I believe you will get yours to love."

Riku looked at her, and she was staring up at him, almost identical to Kairi's own facial features, but her eyes told a different story. Her eyes were bluer than Kairi's, and clear like glass. It was like he could read her thoughts just by looking at them – and he saw sadness, just as always in the one year he knew her since Castle Oblivion.

She was different from Kairi. He was convinced so by the clarity of her eyes, the gentleness of her voice, the way she moved and thought, and the fragrance that came from her, it was all different. 'This makes her, her, and Kairi, Kairi,' he thought finally, after a long stare.

He coughed uneasily, changing the topic. "What have you been drawing lately?" he asked, peering over at the sling bag she had over her left shoulder.

Naminé, surprised by his voice after so long a silence and entranced by his eyes, fumbled for the zipper of her bag. She pulled out her sketchpad and flipped it open to the newest page, not letting him see the other earlier pages.

"I draw the islands now, mostly, be it this one or the main one. I sometimes wish that I really had spent a childhood here, like you guys did. So I want to keep these sceneries alive, on paper, as a memory," she mumbled, showing him the recent sketch she made of Kairi's house. "We might not stay here forever, after all. We'll grow up, and go for college…"

Riku chuckled. "Thinking ahead, I see? Don't worry about it. Let's just enjoy the summer while it's still here."

Naminé nodded, before pulling out a box of crayons to begin sketching the interior of the cave on paper. She reminded herself to keep the sketchbook away from Kairi, or she'd have a lot of explaining to do.

Her art took some time to complete, but Riku, having lived on Destiny Islands for so long, had nothing else to look in the cavern except her, who was new on the islands. Naminé looked at him when she felt nervous at being stared for so long.

"Don't mind me," he said, grinning slightly. "Continue, please."

She turned back to her sketch, seated against a cavern wall, but rotated her body away from him a little, using her blond hair to curtain her vision from his obvious gaze. He laughed at her bashful action, before muttering, "Artists."

The cavern drawing took longer than intended, and it was starting to rain outside. Naminé felt a chill run down her spine and subsequently sneezing because of the sudden change in temperature. She rubbed her nose and continued.

"Hmm, looks like we can't get out until the rain's stopped," said Riku, looking outside the cavern to see a full-blown heavy rain crash down upon the islands. "But the weather forecast said it'd be sunny…ah, the sailor's instincts still work best after all."

Naminé sneezed again, causing the lad to turn to her. "You okay?" he asked.

She nodded, her arms covering the sketch she was doing. Five seconds later, she sneezed again. Riku smiled warmly at her, which made her blush since he rarely did that, and proceeded to take the white vest off his body.

"Wha…" Naminé began, but he cut her off as he placed the vest over her bare shoulders.

"I don't want you getting sick again, you indoor girl," he said sternly. "And before you ask, I'm fine. I've been through colder weather than this across the worlds, remember?"

She lowered her head shyly. "Thank you," she said, tugging on it before resuming her work. Riku leaned his head on the cavern wall, crossed his arms, and drifted into sleep after another 5 minutes.

Naminé smiled at the completion of her sketch – she drew Riku and her sitting in the cavern, looking at the child art of Sora and Kairi. She closed the sketchbook, placed it in her bag with all her crayons back in the box. Seeing that Riku was already in dreamland, waiting for the rain to die down, she edged closer to him and leaned her head on his shoulder for warmth.

She would never admit to him that she liked it this way. Even if it was cold and her bare legs were freezing, her nose slightly runny, she would rather have him close and warm beside her. Naminé fell asleep not long after, the weariness of inspiration on her along with the slight hunger she had. His arm had circled her back not long after, causing her to nap against his chest, her cheek nuzzled against the black fabric of his shirt.

Eventually, Riku decided that Naminé would never have to know that he wasn't really asleep all along.

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Please review! (And now, I shall get back to work. Ugh.)


	4. 17 Hero

Author's Note: First of all, thanks for the reviews! They make my day! I was upset for a day or two, thanks to the KH 358/2 days trailer showing Riku holding an injured Xion, and I was moping on how Tetsuya Nomura could make *that* canon, but thanks to the awesome reviews, I remembered that I couldn't care less, since I am mostly a fanon supporter. Enough of my babbling, on with the prompt!

Disclaimer: I do not own the awesome game named Kingdom Hearts. All goes to Square Enix.

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**017 - Hero**

_She could defend herself, but he was her knight._

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For Riku, it all started with a day of cleaning up the storeroom at his house. Sure, the last time he had cleaned it was early spring, but his mother suddenly had a vibe of having a yard sale (she owned plenty of knick-knacks that she bore of easily) and there he was, opening closed boxes and peering for things to sell with his mother in a dusty, dim basement.

"Mind the china, Riku, those are expensive," his mother reminded him as he moved over a box labelled 'fragile'. He groaned – he was supposed to be at the Playground Island, teaching Naminé how to swim, but ended up stuck in this dusty place he hated so much as a kid.

He whipped out a small knife from his pocket and cut the taped top flaps of the box, before opening it to see what's inside. Riku felt a nostalgic smile crept up his lips as he reached for the fluffy snowman, used as a bauble for their Christmas tree.

The snowman plush toy took him back to when he was still searching for himself, consumed by darkness just so that he could grasp infinite power. He met so many friends and so many enemies in that journey, and almost lost his two best friends, Sora and Kairi.

But he had met Naminé through that path he took. Riku remembered starting his 'blindfold' regime, to become stronger in a sense, by blocking his eyes to light. At that time, Roxas wasn't DiZ's primary concern, and all he had to do was watch the Organization. That, and babysit the little witch who controlled Sora's broken memories.

"Riku, if it isn't too much, could I ask you for a favour? I'll cook for you in return."

That's what she had said during one of his visits to her stark white room in Twilight Town. He had just finished reporting to DiZ about the Organization XIII activities, and was free for the next few days. 'She must've eavesdropped,' he mused. "What do you want?" he asked in return.

"I'd like to go to Christmas Town," she had said. "I always wanted to see how snow was like."

There was hesitation in his heart, because Naminé wasn't DiZ, who had magic skills, or Mickey, who had a Keyblade of his own. She would require protection. Eventually, even though he didn't know what kind of persuasive technique she used, but they ended up in the said snowing town, with her dressed in a warm cream sweater that _he_ had to buy with his munny. She shuddered upon arriving via dark portal. "Brr, it's cold," she murmured.

"Of course it is. It's snowing," he said. Naminé looked around the cosy little buildings with their chimneys and snow-covered roofs. She was staring at the houses that seemed so inviting with their illuminated windows and snowmen plus Christmas decorations all around that she failed to realise some Heartless approaching them.

"Tch," he spat as he wielded his sword. He began slashing away the weak Heartless with much ease, even though he was blindfolded. His instincts and hearing were so sharp, that even Sora would be flabbergasted at the speed he moved in.

The fighting led him away from Naminé, who still stood there. He thought she was helpless, since she wasn't moving. More Heartless were appearing, and they were targeting her. 'Damn!' his mind screamed, worried for her safety.

He couldn't let her die now. Not when she had messed up Sora, Donald, Goofy and Jiminy's (especially Sora's) memory so badly. Not when she was the only one who could fix them. Definitely not now, when there was a sparkle for her in his tainted black heart. He turned around and subconsciously started running, cold sweat running down his sideburns.

That is, until she screamed, "Fire!"

Riku stopped in his tracks, gobsmacked. The Heartless that had been chasing him leapt and was about to hit him, but he flipped his sword and stabbed the creature without even looking back. He marched to her, and she was looking up at him innocently.

He opened his mouth to say something, but only found the words seconds later. "You can cast magic? Why didn't you tell me?!" he yelled and all sorts of emotions from his voice alone could be deciphered by her – anxiety, fear, relief, worry, and perhaps…affection?

Naminé smiled at him. "Of course! I had to peek through Sora's memories before playing around with them. He had learnt how to use magic, and so did Donald. Frankly, magic is much easier compared to memory handling."

Riku's eyes twitched beneath the black blindfold; angered that she didn't tell him sooner so that he wouldn't have worried so.

He felt her touch the black Organization XIII coat he wore, and it felt warm and comforting despite being separated by a layer of thick black cloth. "Were you worried?" she asked.

Riku didn't answer, but he looked away, not because he was annoyed by the question, but he didn't want her to see him blush.

"I'm sorry. I didn't say anything because even if I could use magic to defend myself, you're still my hero," she said, giggling. "Though you're a rather lousy one to scold the damsel in distress."

Riku frowned. She grabbed hold of his arm and started pulling him towards the houses. "Oh, c'mon, I was just kidding! Let's go see that building there – Santa's Workshop! Ah! I always wanted to meet Santa…" she said, her childish murmurs trailing off.

There was a force she had which made him bid her every command. A force stronger than darkness, he daresay. "Oh, the Christmas baubles!" exclaimed his mother, bringing Riku back to reality. He looked up at his mother in fear that she would think of selling them off. It contained memories of his family and friends during Christmas - there was no way she could!

"It's not going to be Christmas anytime soon, so let's keep that," she said, and Riku breathed a sigh of relief. She walked away from him, and Riku looked back at the snowman in his hand. His stomach lurched at the thought of how much worrying he'd have to go through when teaching the girl how to swim. Hell, he was already worrying of what she was going to wear!

'But that's what heroes do, isn't it? That's why they save people,' his conscious replied to his plentiful woes. He smiled, feeling warm-hearted, and it was not because it was summer. The snowman smiled back at him with its beady eyes, plastic carrot nose and threaded lips.

'I think she'd like an early present,' he thought with a smile, pocketing Mr. Snowman, feeling the sparkle brighten in his heart.

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Please give an opinion in your review: Should Namiku have a son or a daughter? (Or you could just vote at my profile.)

Lastly, sorry for not describing Christmas Town very well. It's been some time since I played the game, and I'm not at home right now.

P.S. Merry Christmas!


	5. 34 Disguise

A/n: Thanks to all who reviewed and faved! It makes me happy to know you're reading. And thank you for responding to the poll - it's still open - and I'd like to hear feedback of the child's name, if possible. But if you don't want to, it's ok.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. All questions about ownership shall be directed to Tetsuya Nomura.

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**034 - Disguise**

_He came back looking like Ansem. But she knew._

* * *

Naminé had to admit, there were some pretty weird clothes that Kairi kept in her closet. Comment to her about it, though, and she would definitely receive a comeback from the redhead. But it was difficult for the blonde who had worn a simple white dress from the time of her being 'born' until the day Kairi bought her new garbs.

She picked one out from the closet that she was helping her new 'elder' sister organize. "What's this?" she asked, looking at the short, black velvety dress with silk red trimmings and a small makeshift bat wings on the back.

Kairi turned to her, before smiling in glee. "Oh, that was my Halloween costume last year. Too bad Sora or Riku wasn't around to see it," she mumbled. "It took me ages before Mom agreed to let me wear it, though," she ended with a giggle.

The blonde turned to look at the dress in her hands a little more properly, her left hand upon the hanger. It took her a fraction of a millisecond to conclude that she would never wear such a seductive dress in her entire life.

"I don't get Halloween," said Naminé, placing the dress back into the closet. "You'd dress up in strange clothes and go door to door just for candy? If you guys were ten, I'd understand, but…"

Kairi gave her an unexpected giggle. "Silly, we don't go trick-or-treating anymore! Destiny High organises a dance party during Halloween, and I wasn't going to turn up being ordinary," she explained. "Perhaps Sora would still want to go get candy this year…that silly boy."

Naminé sat on the bed and started folding the many clothes that Kairi had tossed onto her bed to be either donated, or kept away forever. As her hands swiftly folded her garments, thanks to her quick adaptation to household chores, she pondered on what Halloween would be like when it came by.

'Perhaps it will be like Halloween Town,' she mused. 'Without Jack Skellington and his mates walking around.' A smile crept up her face. 'Oh, what fun it would be! A night like no other, right here on Destiny Islands!'

Then she thought of what Riku's reaction would be to this festivity. Naminé could almost hear him scoff with a displeased frown on his face, before he would cross his arms and say how stupid it all was. She stifled her giggle just as Kairi was digging through a box filled with papers and old notebooks.

Naminé could understand why Riku wouldn't be thrilled at the thought of wearing a disguise – he already had been through plenty on his own. Once in the ridiculous blue-black Heartless outfit with the peculiar white skirt, another time blindfolded and in an Organization XIII coat, but best of all, his overall disguise as Ansem. He could trick anyone with that transformation, no doubt about it.

But not her.

Just as how he had taken her by complete surprise – she could do the same for him. After all, back when he was trapped in Castle Oblivion, she was the master of his memories. She came to him as Kairi, the one she knew he liked for a long time, when he was about to give up. However, when they met for the first time, Riku knew it was her, not Kairi, who helped him out. He had told her because she 'smelt' the same as the Kairi he met.

When he returned to her white room in Twilight Town one day completely morphed into Ansem, or more accurately, the dark-skinned, silver-haired, red-eyed maniac named Xehanort – she wasn't surprised at the very least. Although he looked like Xehanort's Nobody, Xemnas, who was the leader of the Organization XIII, she knew.

"How did you know it was me?" he asked her, when he failed to make her scream for his name when he barged in her room as a different person.

Naminé had giggled as she set down the crayon she held in her hand. "You smell the same," she said, quoting it directly from him. She saw the surprised and touched look on his face. "You're the only one who smells like dirty socks," she added, and his frown returned.

Of course she knew it was him, because she saw him practically every day for those months of trying to restore Sora's memory. Naminé grew attached to him, and attachment isn't something cut off by a costume. Well, his was really good, but she knew he'd turn out that way once he had grasped the darkness – thus the purpose of the blindfold.

Naminé knew that Riku wasn't going to be anxious for Halloween, but that didn't mean she could let him ruin her holiday.

"Kairi," said Naminé, and the redhead turned to her. "What do you think I should be for Halloween?"

The elder 'sister' mused for a second as she got up from her seat on the floor. "That's easy. You're going as an angel."

Naminé smiled. An angel meant lots of white garments – her favourite colour.

Kairi smiled mischievously as she turned around to face Naminé, her index finger tapping her chin. "Though, I wonder what Riku would think if you went as a _sexy_ angel."

She regretted saying that as she dodged a pillow thrown at her a second later.

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_A/n: Please review!_


	6. 09 Innocence

**Silver and Gold Crayons**

Fanfiction by Chiharu Tanaka

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A/n: Thank you to those who are still reading and to those who reviewed! My schedule has never been more hectic now that I'm in 3rd year, but I come with a reasonable goal: one chapter per week (except during exam season) and hopefully I'll be able to finish this by the next year. A new poll is out – please vote (or PM me for suggestions) on Riku and Naminé's daughter's name!

The choices are as follows: Hoshi (which means star, because a star-shaped keychain is what linked both of them together, even if it was Repliku); Kishi (which means beach, because a beach is the product of the land (Riku) and the waves (Nami) – lame, I know); Cho (which means dawn, because Riku is associated with this time of day); Gina (pronounced Gin-a, as in Ichimaru Gin from Bleach which means silvery, because she will most probably have silver hair) and Nagisa (which means shore or waterline, and I chose it for the same reason as Kishi).

Enough babbling from me, please vote and enjoy the prompt!

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**009 - Innocence**

_She had a lot more to learn about the real world._

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This was her first time into Mirage City, a one hour – maybe nearly two hours- bus ride from the main island through the large bridge and onto the mainland. Naminé looked at all the buildings in awe as the bus came to a halt at the bus station situated at the heart of the city. "Ah, this must be the first time you've been here," said Selphie, who sat beside her throughout the entire trip. Coming along with them were the lovebirds Sora and Kairi, who of course sat next to each other; Tidus and Wakka, who were still talking non-stop about the upcoming football matches on television, while Riku occupied two seats on his own with crossed arms and the black hood of his vest up and covering most of his long silver hair.

Selphie stood up, straightening out her jean shorts and bright yellow blouse. "Well, let's not waste any more time!"

Naminé nodded and got up from her seat, and Selphie nudged her, tilting her head towards the sleeping Riku. The blond haired girl merely smiled weakly, briefly remembering that before they boarded the bus, Riku had complained about not getting enough sleep thanks to the football he was watching with Tidus and Wakka (who had slept prior to the match). Selphie proceeded to exit the bus, Tidus and Wakka behind her.

"Riku," said Naminé as she sat on the empty seat beside him. "We're here. Wake up."

He did not budge from his position, so Naminé touched his bare arm (at this she pondered at his choice of clothing – does he really like showing off his arms so much?) before gently shaking it. The sensation was enough to wake Riku, and he groaned in frustration as the light pierced through the crack between his eyelids. "Damn..." he cursed, voice a little hoarse. "Did I sleep the whole way through?"

Riku lifted his head and pushed back the hood from his head to see Naminé nodding, her golden blond hair shining from the morning sunlight through the bus window. "Yeah, we didn't want to wake you up until we've arrived. C'mon, let's get off the bus."

Once her feet, adorned with sandals of a flowery pattern, touched the asphalt of the road in the bus station, Naminé briskly checked the bracelet-like watch Selphie had bought her as a present. "It's only half past nine," she mumbled as Riku stood behind her, hands in his pockets as he yawned loudly.

Selphie stood in the middle of their little group and placed her hands on her hips. "Okay, so here's the thing. I have some shopping to do, so Wakka and Tidus," she said, turning to the two boys. "You're following me. I wouldn't want to bother Sora and Kairi and whatever dating they might wanna do..." she trailed off as Sora told Kairi a joke and she giggled, obviously caught up in their own little world. "So, Naminé, Riku, are you following us?"

Naminé pursed her lips. She didn't mind going shopping, but she wanted to have a slow, long look at the city and she knew Selphie to be the kind to have things done quickly. "I want to take a look around first," she said, albeit a little hesitantly.

Selphie nodded. "I see...but, are you going alone?"

"Umm..." Naminé began, but Riku cut her off.

"I'll come with her."

"Excellent-tay," said Selphie, with an extra phonation and a wide grin plastered on her face. "We'll all meet at Wagnaria for lunch, what do you say?"

Everyone agreed to her statement, and arranged to meet at the family fast-food outlet at noon. Sora and Kairi disappeared into a car-filled street while Selphie, Wakka and Tidus were walking towards the shopping complex nearby. Naminé turned to look up at Riku, who was rubbing his eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Just a bit sleepy," he replied. "Let's go for a cup of coffee first before we go sightseeing. Is that okay with you?"

Naminé nodded, suddenly feeling guilty that he was coming along with her when he could be doing lots of other things on their trip to the city. "Sure, let's," she said, and he began leading her towards the nearest coffee joint. After filling himself with a good dose of caffeine from the take-away ice-blended cappuccino, Riku felt a lot better. He turned to Naminé with a satisfied smile.

"So, where do you want to go first?" he asked.

Naminé chuckled. "How should I know – this is my first time here! Anywhere is fine, but I'd prefer if there was a bench. I brought my sketchbook and pencils with me."

"Hmm..." said Riku, before taking another sip of his drink. "Then let's go to Star Point, the tallest building in the city. You can see the entire city from up there. It's a lot nicer at night though. Too bad we have to go home by sundown."

As they walked along the street, Naminé suddenly felt a push from behind her. A man with a cap and a bandana tied over his nose and mouth like a mask stumbled slightly, before running off towards the direction they were walking to. Riku's sharp eyes caught the sight of an expensive handbag in his hand and he was not surprised when the yell of a woman screaming for help to chase after the thief came from behind them. "Hold this," he said, handing the drink to Naminé before breaking into a sprint.

Naminé was at a loss of words as Riku began running so quickly she didn't know what else to do but follow him. "Riku, wait!"

The thief may have had run quickly, but he was no match for Riku's experience from running through worlds, Heartless and Nobodies. The sleepiness in his head immediately disappeared as the adrenaline pumping in his veins made his muscles move faster, and with a high leap, he grabbed hold of the thief underneath his weight. The thief struggled to break free, but Riku pried the handbag off his gloved hands and grabbed hold of both his arms to firmly lock them behind his back with a strong grip.

The thin scarf Naminé wore over her long, printed blouse bounced as she ran towards Riku who was being surrounded by a few curious onlookers, and when she stopped nearby them, she was already breathless when a patrolling security guard came to help Riku apprehend the thief. The lady who had her handbag snatched thanked Riku profusely when she got her purse back, and even offered him a reward, of which he refused. Apparently, the expensive, branded ladies bag contained gold and money that the lady had just taken out of the bank.

"That was really nice of you, Riku," said Naminé when the commotion was over and they resumed their sightseeing. He took his drink back from her and sipped on it with a shrug. "She's lucky that you're really fast. I don't think even Sora or Roxas is as fast as you."

"Things like this happens everyday in the city. I'm just glad I can help," he said.

Naminé looked up at him and blinked. "Everyday? Surely, you can't be serious! Isn't theft a serious crime?"

"It really is your first time here, isn't it?" he teased after he finished his drink and tossed the empty cup into the trash can. "Why do you think Selphie asked if you were going alone earlier at the bus station?"

The blond-haired girl looked upwards, thinking of a possible reason as they continued walking towards Star Point, entering an area with a lovely park near the riverside. "Maybe...she's afraid my cell phone battery would die and she can't contact me?" Riku laughed at her answer, which irritated her a little. "What's so funny? They can't go home without me, so I have a point, right?"

"Naminé, you're priceless," he said, which made her blush a little. "I thought that you'd at least figured that out. But no, I was surprisingly mistaken."

"If my answer is wrong, then why did Selphie ask me that?"

Naminé's eyebrows furrowed as he led her to a bench to sit down. He looked around, forearms resting against his thighs with a serious look on his face. "Look, Naminé," he said, which made her turn to him. "In the worlds there is light and darkness – but that's not the same as good and evil. Both you and me, we have walked through the path of darkness before, but both of us are good people. There are a lot of evil people in this world, and they're not Heartless."

"What do you mean?"

"How do I say this...?" he mumbled, raking through his silver hair. "Well, people in towns, like Destiny Islands, Traverse Town, Twilight Town...because they're such a small, close-knit community, there's not much room for crime to go unnoticed. But a big city like Mirage, there's evil people lurking everywhere because so many people live here without knowing who their neighbours are. Snatch thieves isn't what Selphie was fearing so much about you, Naminé – it's rapists. That's why she asked that question. Didn't you notice that she felt better when I said I was coming with you?"

Naminé's eyes twitched at his words. "Rapists? You mean...people who rape other people?"

"Don't be so surprised. Young girls like you are the most common victims."

_And here I thought being a slave to the Organization was a fate worse than death._

She shivered instinctively at fear of being captured by a stranger – it had already happened to her once. To her surprise, she felt Riku's hand on her hands that were clasped over her skirt. "I didn't mean to scare you," he said. "It's just that I didn't want you to be innocent and oblivious to what's happening in this world of mine. You're going to stay here, so you should know how to keep yourself safe."

Naminé smiled weakly as she slipped her hands from underneath his to hold his hand gently with hers, looking straight into his aquamarine eyes. "Thanks for telling me all this, really. I can't imagine what would've happened to me if I continued not knowing about this."

"You're welcome. You don't have to worry – as long as I'm here, I won't let any pervert or thief touch you. That's my promise."

_Don't worry, Naminé! If the stars were to fall, I'll protect you! I promise!_

The false memories she created between herself and the replica Riku flashed through her mind momentarily, and she felt her cheeks grow warm as she gripped his hand a little firmer.

_This is a real promise, made by the real Riku. I never dreamt something like this would actually happen to me..._

"Thank you, Riku," she said embarrassingly, and she stood up to break the awkward situation. "I think I want to take a look at this park first. Let's go, okay?"

The silver-haired lad merely nodded before standing up as well, following her as she admired the shrubs and trees in the park. He watched as she fumbled for her sketchbook upon finding a particularly pretty blooming tree that was over an ornate steel swing set. Briefly, he remembered what his father once told him, just a few weeks before he was thrown into the world of darkness during the storm on the Playground Island.

_To protect someone doesn't mean you should shelter them from the harsh world – to protect someone, you have to let them learn about the world so that they can be stronger and so that they can protect themselves when you are gone._

Naminé folded her knee-length skirt and sat down on the grass to begin sketching, and Riku couldn't deny the slight worry in his heart.

_Does that mean we will have to grow apart in the future?_

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Please leave a review!


	7. 16 Goodbye

**Silver and Gold Crayons**

Fanfiction by Chiharu Tanaka

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A/n: Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter! As I promised, here's the next one! I might be delayed in uploading the chapters during my exam week (which is in about 5 weeks' time), because obviously I have to pass that, don't I? To make it up for that particularly hectic week, however, I will try to upload two chapters for the week after the exam. Sounds fair, no?

Disclaimer: Me no own Kingdom Hearts.

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**016 - Goodbye**

_She felt like a shadow. Was that really how he felt about her?_

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It was another peaceful night in Destiny Islands and Naminé peered outside the window of her room on the second floor, taking in the salty wind as she searched for some inspiration to draw her next masterpiece. Before she could reach for a pencil to begin drawing, however, a series of knocks on her white bedroom door startled her. "Nami? Are you awake? Can I come in?" Kairi's muffled voice came through the door and Naminé merely smiled.

"Come on in," she replied, and the door swung open momentarily to let the red-haired princess of Hearts inside. She held what appeared to be a small pink paper bag, and Naminé was curious about it. "What's that?"

"Hair accessories," Kairi replied, walking over to her desk. "I bought them on our trip to the city the other day. I totally forgot about it until I found it inside my bag."

"Okay," said Naminé, trailing off as Kairi seemed a lot more forgetful now that she was officially dating Sora. Kairi tugged at her arm.

"C'mon, let me do your hair! I bought these to see if I could try a new hairdo for you."

Naminé raised an eyebrow. Surely, life as an only child for so long must have made Kairi pretty lonely at times – if it weren't for Selphie, she didn't know who else Kairi were to share a special girly bond with. "Okay..." she said again, letting Kairi pull her off the chair and she sat down on the stool in front of her dresser.

Kairi opened the paper bag and emptied the contents, letting the various hairclips and hair-ties fall on Naminé's rather empty dresser table. After all, Naminé didn't need all the hair care, skin care and make-up Kairi had on her dresser, and the things on the table were the absolute 'musts' that Kairi had forced her to use – like sunscreen, moisturiser and a few tinted lip balms. The dresser drawers were filled with – obviously – more of her stationeries and artwork anyway.

The redhead proceeded to pick up a comb and started combing Naminé's shoulder-length blond hair. Naminé smiled weakly as Kairi pulled it backwards and tied her hair into a ponytail, then into their reflection in the mirror and the redhead said, "Nah, that looks weird on you," before pulling the hair tie out and proceeded to comb her hair some more.

Naminé watched as Kairi did her work and her eyelids drooped slightly as she turned away from their reflection. They really looked alike – too much alike that they were almost twins – and Naminé felt her new heart cringe with the memories of seeing her reflection for the first few times in her life.

It was some time after Sora, Donald, Goofy and Jiminy went inside the three pods and fell into a deep sleep while she restored their memories, and when she was first acquainted with DiZ and Riku. She remembered the first time Riku had laid eyes on her; even if Naminé hadn't been alive for very long at the time she knew the expression his aquamarine eyes gave away – surprise. The more time she spent with him, the more unsettling it was to have him look at her. Naminé became even more familiar with human emotions as time passed and she knew there was hurt in his eyes. And she knew why it hurt him to look at her.

There used to be a mirror in her white room in the Twilight Town mansion. Every morning she would see herself in the mirror, with shoulder-length blond hair that was pretty much hassle-free, blue eyes that were clear, staring back at her with innocence and porcelain-like skin; but as the days passed she began to loathe her reflection – she began to hate the way she looked like. She was Kairi's shadow, her Nobody – and it must have hurt Riku, the one whose love was unrequited, so much.

"Riku," she said, one night after one of his missions to locate Roxas, and she knew his eyes were focused anywhere else but her even if he was listening. She stood at the mirror, looking at herself from head to toe and realised how much she _looked like_ and probably _behaved like_ Kairi. Fingers intertwined with each other, and a hollow in her chest where her heart was supposed to be throbbing with an insatiable desire, she asked him, "When you look at me...do you see Kairi? Even if your eyes were closed and you hear my voice, do you hear hers? And when you think of me, do you think of her?"

The room was silent for a moment. Riku turned his whole body away from her, thinking of an answer. Finding none, he proceeded to the door. "Goodbye, Naminé," he said, and with that he left her with a question unanswered.

Naminé had only felt anger once, when she protected Sora and the Replica Riku from Larxene's taunts, and even then it was interlaced with the guilt she harboured for creating such a mess in the first place. But Riku's answer made her blood feel like it was boiling and she could swear that steam was leaking out of her ears. Tears stinging her eyes, she grabbed the white vase on top of the centre table and tossed it at the mirror, crashing the elongated reflective structure into shards that dropped to the floor.

And that was the first time that Naminé cried.

It was that answer of his that made her truly believe that she can never be anything more than Kairi's shadow. She would never be able to become a separate individual with her own thoughts and feelings – she would always be perceived as part of Kairi, and that all her emotions and opinions stemmed from Kairi's own personality.

"Ouch!"

Kairi gasped. "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, Nami!" she exclaimed as she tugged too hard while finely braiding Naminé's hair from its roots. Pressing the temples of her head gently, Kairi blew at the scalp that Naminé was gently rubbing with her left hand, trying to ease the pain. Guilt tugged at her fragile heart – Kairi was too nice a person to be hated, that she knew, but she couldn't help, at the time, hate the princess for bringing her into existence.

It was not long after that incident that Riku began his blindfold 'regime' and she refused to speak to him, not because she was angry at him; but because she knew she would hurt him. Riku could only stand the silent treatment for so long, and after only a few days he confronted her in her room. Naminé didn't even yelp in pain when he forcefully grabbed hold of her dainty arm. "Look, I'm sorry I couldn't answer your question, okay?" he said angrily. "I didn't expect such a complicated question from you and you just popped it out of the blue!"

Naminé, her feet on the floor and glaring up at him indignantly, pulled her arm out of his powerful grasp with equal stubbornness. "Then answer my question," she said, rubbing the sore part of her arm with her other hand.

Riku raked through his hair and sighed. "Okay...look...when I first saw you, I thought you were Kairi – with a blond wig. You can't blame me for that, you two look the same. But after a while, I realised both of you are different. You both have different scents*, and you both have different voices. I am aware that both of you are two different people, even if you are her Nobody. So let me answer your question once and for all – when I look at you, yes, you do remind me of Kairi, but when I think of Kairi, I just think of her and when I think of you, I just think of you."

The room fell silent once again, and Naminé felt herself filled with mixed emotions – she was getting used to expressing them even though she had no idea where they were coming from – happiness, relief and guilt all mashed up into one. She began giggling, covering her mouth to contain her laughter but was unable to contain her tears that fell from the brim of her eyes again.

"Oh man...Naminé, are you crying? I'm sorry," Riku said, a little panicked as he wasn't used to dealing with crying girls. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she let him do so.

Naminé rubbed the corners of her eyes with the back of her hands, mouth still curved into a small grin. "No...don't worry about me. I was just so glad...and embarrassed right now," she said with flushed cheeks, touching the arm that was touching her shoulder. "But thank you, Riku. That was all I wanted to hear from you."

_Thank you, Riku, for thinking of me as a separate existence, one that is related yet not entirely composed of Kairi. Now I know what it feels like to be normal._

"I'm done!" said Kairi, which snapped Naminé out of her train of thoughts and she stared at her own reflection in surprise. Her entire head was filled with braids, except for the fringe she kept at the front. She almost wanted to laugh at herself – she looked absolutely ridiculous, but it looked rather nice since it was done so professionally. "You look pretty cool, Nami...like a freelance artist. Now all we need is Sora's jacket and Riku's baggy pants and you'll be a hip-hop dancer!"

Naminé laughed at the idea of her being a hip-hop dancer breaking out in dance moves on the street. "It's nicely done...but I don't think it suits me," she admitted.

"Aw, that's okay. You should sleep in it and wait for tomorrow morning before you take it off. You might look nice with curls," Kairi suggested. "But before that, let's take pictures of you! This took me ages to do, so we should capture this moment!"As Kairi rushed back into her room to find her camera, Naminé turned back to her reflection.

_Now, I have a life to live, a family to love, friends to cherish and a whole new future awaiting me...I'm no longer a shadow, I am in the light now._

Her last thoughts before Kairi re-entered her room was what Sora and Riku's reaction would be to her curly hair?

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*I know that in the PS2 remake of KH:CoM Riku said that both Kairi and Naminé smell the same, while in the GBA version he said "You smell the same", which I perceived as when he 'dreamt' of Kairi he inhaled Naminé's scent instead of the real Kairi's, so I'm following this perception that they both have different scents.

Please leave a review!


	8. 31 Determined

**Silver and Gold Crayons**

Fanfiction by Chiharu Tanaka

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A/n: I only know that Kairi was adopted by the Destiny Islands' mayor, so that's why Naminé is easily adopted into her family as well. I named the family Castell because I've used that name for Naminé in the other fanfic of mine. I'm not sure when exactly do you learn algebra for the rest of the world, because I'm from Malaysia, but we start learning it (functions, quadratics, etc) around the 10th grade. Sorry if I got any algebraic formula wrong, because I've left the subject for so many years already.

PS: The 'squared' numbers don't show up properly in . Sorry about that, but it's not exactly my fault. If you don't know algebra you can just ignore it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts – it belongs to Tetsuya Nomura and Square-Enix.

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**031 Determined **

_Her mind was made up. Naminé is going to high school. Even with only a month to learn algebra._

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It all began with a talk at the dinner table – between members of the Castell family, namely Mayor Castell, his wife and their two adopted (yet identical) daughters Kairi and Naminé. "Nami," said the Mayor, when he realised something was forgotten during Naminé's two-month stay in Destiny Islands. "Do you want to go to the same school as Kairi?"

Naminé was surprised by this – because surely in the heat of the summer and the leisure activities she had been doing with Kairi and the rest she had forgotten all about the fact that people her age go to school. But then again, she was a Nobody turned into a Somebody, so she never had any experience of going to this institution where she remembered Sora, Kairi and Riku spent time between eight a.m. and three p.m. every weekdays. She forgot to ask them whether they had to do the same during summer.

"Sure," Naminé replied, since there was no going about it, she had to appear like a normal sixteen year-old girl who had actually been living sixteen years instead of the barely one year she had. As her parents proceeded to arrange the paperwork to get her into Destiny High, the local high school; Kairi was in charge of making sure Naminé would have the knowledge in her head before she started school in a month's time.

The group of teenagers met at a shaved ice shack, where together with a round of flavoured, colourful shaved ice they began discussing the plans for a study group (this, of course, was a cover up for Selphie, Tidus and Wakka who had no idea of the adventures that the other four had gone through). While walking to the shack, Naminé had asked Kairi about what happened to Sora and Riku since they had gone missing for a year (even after Naminé's modification of the memories of the Destiny Islands residents, she couldn't exactly make as if Sora and Riku had been there the entire year).

"Sora's mom somehow forged some paperwork saying that when her husband transferred to Mirage City, Sora followed him and studied a year there, so he'll be joining us in the 11th grade. Riku, on the other hand, had his parents forged medical records saying he's absent for a year due to his illness...whatever it was."

Naminé furrowed her eyebrows. "Does that mean Riku's being held back a year?"

"Yeah. Riku's parents aren't as easy-going as Sora's, and they're pretty convinced that I'll be able to teach Sora what he's missed last year. Of course, that's easier said than done – even if he is my boyfriend."

So upon deciding what subjects would be 'taught' (or in their case, the person leading the discussion) by whom, Kairi suggested that she would do History and English, since she was active in the school newspapers as a writer. Selphie volunteered to lead Biology and Chemistry, because she was the ace student of the group, while Wakka went ahead to suggest that he'll help out with Spanish and Tidus agreed on helping out with Math. The only two subjects left were Algebra and Physics, of which was the hardest, but they were not surprised to see Riku raise his hand.

"I'll do it," he said, since he and Wakka were the two older students in the group – they were one year older than the rest. Wakka sighed at this point, saying how he'll be lonely as the senior 12th grader and takes a spoonful of shaved ice that later gave him brain freeze.

"Oh yeah, you are pretty good with all those x and y stuff, aren't cha?" mumbled Tidus. "I hate those; just give me real numbers, thanks."

The group then decided on what basis and schedule they would begin their revision study on, and once they agreed to a proper schedule and topics to discuss, they arranged places to do the studying, of which one in particular was Kairi and Naminé's house, since it was one of the biggest in the neighbourhood, and most importantly – air-conditioned.

Naminé frowned as she placed the pencil behind her ear upon remembering how she ended up sitting here in the dining room. Tidus, Wakka and Selphie had refused to come to today's session because they _just remembered_ that they had summer homework to complete – and Kairi laughed at them because she had already finished hers. Sora was asleep in the living room, she knew, with an opened book covering his face as he snored on the long couch. Kairi was out because she wanted to get some drinks and sea-salt ice cream.

"You see, when you expand this equation, you get a2 + 2ab + b2 instead of a2 – 2ab + b2."

She looked at the piece of paper of which Riku used to expand the initial equation of (a + b)2 and she was puzzled more than ever. It took Riku two weeks to get her to understand what x and y stands for, and how a function works and how they're calculated and what 'squared' means. School was going to open soon since it was nearly September, and Naminé bit her lower lip as she couldn't understand what the hell Riku just explained.

Frankly, she was a bit amazed at how he was able to understand all these 'unknown numbers', as Tidus had put it. Even during the 10th grade, where practically everyone failed algebra in their first semester, he was one of those few who passed. Even physics, which had a lot to do with numbers, calculations and formulae was one of Riku's best subjects in his 10th grade. It was Riku's turn to sigh as he explained once more, beckoning her to pay attention while he did so in the simplest way he could possibly think of.

"Here, I'll draw a table," he said, drawing a horizontal line and a vertical line. In the left upper quadrant he wrote the equation as 'a + b' above another 'a + b'. "When a is multiplied by a, what do you get?" he asked her, silver hair falling over his shoulders.

"a2?" Naminé answered.

"Exactly. The same goes with b when it's multiplied by b. When positive meets positive, what happens?" he asked, tracing the pen tip over the two plus signs in the two short equations.

"It's still positive, I guess."

"Yeah," Riku said, writing the equation a2 + b2 on the left lower quadrant. "So, half of your expanded equation is already done. Now, onto the next half," he said, tracing the pen diagonally over the a on the first row and the b on the second row. "When a is multiplied by b, what do you get?"

"ab?" she answered after some thought.

"Yeah, since they're both positive, they become ab when multiplied. If it's a multiplied by –b, you'll get –ab instead."

Naminé's mouth formed an 'O' shape as she understood what he meant. "Ah...I get it."

"Good. Since the same can be said if we go this way," he said, tracing the pen diagonally over the a on the second row and the b on the first row, writing two 'ab' above each other in the right upper quadrant. "We also get ab, and when you plus ab with another ab?" he asked, tracing the pen downwards through the right upper quadrant.

"You get 2ab," Naminé completed his sentence, and he wrote her answer in the right lower quadrant.

"There, you got it now," he said with a grin, which made Naminé blush a little, but he didn't notice as he was writing. "All you have to do now is rewrite your answer by putting a2 at the front, 2ab in the middle and b2 at the end – like this."

Naminé gasped a little as she understood how the quadratic expansion worked, and clapped her fingers together. "Oh, it's so simple if you put it that way!" she exclaimed, surprised she didn't see it earlier. "Riku, you're so smart!"

At that compliment Riku felt his face heat up slightly. "No, this is just a method Mr. John taught me when I was in the 10th grade," he replied bashfully, scratching the back of his head. After all, he liked algebra but he wasn't as good as the whiz kid of their class. He proceeded to flex his shoulders, feeling a bit tired from sitting for so long.

"What's wrong?" asked Naminé.

"I think I sat for too long, going over these equations and stuff with you. My shoulder's aching," he grumbled, holding his left shoulder and rubbing it slightly.

Naminé stood up and grabbed his arm. "Come, let's go to the living room. I'll give you a massage."

Riku was about to protest, but Naminé had already pulled him out of the chair and before he could say anything he was being dragged (of course, he moved his own legs) to the living room. Sora was still asleep and Naminé made Riku sit on the two-seat couch and told him to look at the wall. He sighed, a little bit embarrassed, but when he felt Naminé's dainty hands over his shoulders and kneading the weary muscles of his shoulders he was surprised she was able to knead them at all.

_Good heavens! He's as tough as he looks!_

She felt like she had to thank for the fact that he wasn't facing her, otherwise he would have surely noticed the bright red patches on both her cheeks. She was able to feel firm muscle even under his sleeveless T-shirt and silently she cursed whatever possessed her to do such a thing. But she was relieved when she felt his tense shoulders relax – he had been sitting at the table since eight in the morning and it was already nearly noon.

Meanwhile, Kairi came through the back door and started arranging cans of soda into the fridge, and she walked into the dining room with ice cream in her hands. Seeing that Riku and Naminé were missing, she proceeded into the living room but halted when she saw them, quickly hiding behind the wall before they noticed her. 'Aren't they cosy,' she thought, snickering to herself. Kairi allowed them to have a few more minutes together and waited for her cue.

"Thanks, Naminé," said Riku, slowly turning around before flexing his neck.

To his surprise, she beamed at him. "You're welcome. It's the least I could do for you," she told him, and he suddenly felt like he needed to adjust his collar – was the air-conditioner not working?

"Hey, guys," said Kairi, popping into the living room, and they quickly turned to see her coming in with a paper bag. "I bought sea-salt ice cream," she said, approaching them and handing them one each. She went over to Sora nonchalantly and pressed the cold ice cream, still in its wrapper, against his cheek, which made Sora jump and yelp in surprise. The three of them laughed at his antics, and all was normal again for the little study group. That was, until...

"Nami," said Kairi as she sat on the foot of Naminé's bed later that night. "What do you think of Riku?"

The blond-haired Castell turned to her, blushing furiously. "Wha...what do you mean what do I think of Riku?"

"I mean exactly that. I'm just curious, y'know. Besides, I think you two look nice together, don't you agree?"

Naminé grasped the hair that fell over her shoulders and pressed her lips together, algebra homework still scattered over her bed along with pencils and erasers. She didn't know what to reply, because even though she _did_ think that Riku is a really nice, patient, _good-looking_ man, she didn't want to admit it because she knew Kairi was only going to make a big deal out of it – and Kairi being Kairi it would surely reach his ears.

"Okay, I'm done putting the pressure on you for the moment," said Kairi after her two minutes of silence, getting up and walking towards the door. "He's coming again tomorrow, so good night, sleep tight and dream of Riku tonight!"

Naminé picked up a pillow and tossed it at her, but missed as Kairi blocked it with the door, laughing as she closed it shut. Exasperated, Naminé breathed out a loud sigh at her elder sister's antics before turning back to the pile of homework still in front of her.

_Whatever it is, Kairi, I'm going to school with the rest of you – and I'm going to be there with you guys for as long as I can._

She picked up the piece of paper with the table containing the quadratic expansion formula, and smiled to herself.

_At least if I get a bind in algebra, I'll know who to turn to._

_

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_

The poll for Riku and Naminé's daughter's name is still on – it will be closed by the end of this year. So, please vote!

Please leave a review!


	9. 32 Abducted

**Silver and Gold Crayons**

Fanfiction by Chiharu Tanaka

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A/n: Sorry I'm a bit late...I have a quiz on Monday and I have to study for that. The daughter-name poll is still open, and I'm thinking of closing it earlier because I have another poll to put up – I need your opinion of which pairing to write about next after Namiku. I love Namiku and all (they're my OTP), but I need to widen my scope of fandom (beyond KH, preferably), and I'm open to any suggestions you might have. I will finish Unattainable Desire in due time...and seeing that I only have less than 3 years to actively write (I'll be working after that, so that means I won't have much time), I want to try other pairings as well. Anyway, enough blabber, enjoy this week's prompt!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts – it belongs to Tetsuya Nomura and Square-Enix.

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**032 Abducted**

_It's not nice to cover a girl's head with a bag. Naminé shares her experience with the Organization._

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It was only two weeks left before school began, and one Saturday morning over at the Castell house, the study group (minus Wakka and Tidus who went to school for soccer practice; and Selphie who had gone out of town to visit her grandmother) were doing their usual studying cum hanging out. Kairi had the newspaper laid over the table while she peered at the day's top news, while Naminé was biting the head of her pen while figuring out some math equations.

Sora was not sleeping this time around (which was a surprise for all of them) and was working on the same math homework Naminé was doing, and Riku was tapping on his calculator, his Physics book wide open. "Sheesh, what is with the world these days," mumbled Kairi out loud after reading an article, startling the other three from their concentration. "Look at this," she said, holding up the newspaper and pointing at the second page, where the title read, 'Kidnapped six year-old returns to family, kidnapper arrested'.

"Six year-old?" said Sora, a mixed look of shock and repulsion on his boyish face. "Man, and I thought Heartless were evil."

"What else does it say?" asked Riku, reaching for his can of soda while still looking at the calculator screen.

Kairi placed the newspaper back down and looked at the article. "Apparently she was held captive for two weeks. The kidnapper grabbed her from school, and lured her by saying that he was a friend of her father's. Luckily she wasn't beaten up or abused or anything, but the little girl was held for ransom, according to the story."

Naminé pressed her lips together. "The poor dear," she mumbled. "She must've had quite the shock."

Folding the newspaper closed, Kairi gave a dry, stale laugh. "Tell me about it. Being kidnapped by the Organization wasn't exactly a pleasant experience," she told them, before crossing her arms at the mere memory of it. "When I remember how that sneaky red-haired freak just snatched me out of Twilight Town, I could just...oh!" she said exasperatedly, her hands in a twisting, 'wring-your-neck' motion. "And then he had to put me in that jail cell – and that creepy X-face guy just kept looking at me like I was an animal. Thank goodness you came to save me, Naminé."

Naminé smiled weakly. "You have to give Riku and Sora some credit though. I can't fight, so Riku was my backup, and Sora proved to be an excellent distraction to get you out of there."

"So I was the distraction?" said Sora, before crossing his arms and tilting his head to one side. "Thanks a lot."

Kairi laughed. "Oh, Sora, you can't be the hero of the story all the time," she said, tapping his arm. "But thanks, you guys. I don't know what I would've done without you."

"You're welcome," said Riku, turning back to his work. "That's what friends are for."

A few moments passed in silence when suddenly Kairi realised something. "Nami, weren't you kidnapped by the Organization too? Did they hurt you or anything?" she asked in concern, her eyebrows furrowed together.

Naminé shook her head. "No...not really. But it was a scary experience nonetheless."

At this point Sora was listening, but Riku was listening more attentively as he pressed the 'clear' button on the calculator and looked straight at Naminé. "Tell us about it," said Kairi, who understood her situation, and she empathetically placed a hand on Naminé's shoulder.

"Well..." Naminé began. "The moment I woke up, I was surrounded by darkness, and I think Roxas...no, all the Nobodies went through the same thing. I was falling, and falling and suddenly I'm standing on a platform that I can't see. I began walking through the darkness, not knowing where I was, where I was going...or who I was for that matter. The only thing I remembered that time was the three of you, and even though I knew your names and who you were, I didn't know why."

Naminé paused, but the other three said nothing.

"When I realised someone was there with me, in the darkness, I felt something cover my head and I couldn't breathe."

Sora and Kairi gasped, but there was a loud clatter when Riku suddenly slammed his fist against the table. "Bastards," he cursed under his breath. Sora turned to him with his usual goofy grin.

"Chill, Riku. We got rid of them, remember?" he said, tapping the older teen's shoulder before turning back to Naminé. "Okay, go on."

"By the time they took the bag off my head, I was in a bright room – in Castle Oblivion, and Marluxia, Vexen, Lexaeus, Zexion, Larxene and Axel were already there. They told me what I was, and what I'm supposed to do. I couldn't say no because they threatened me with a lot of things, and I was not exactly thinking at the time, I guess. The strange thing is, they were the ones who named me 'Naminé'."

"I'm surprised they had any compassion at all," said Riku. "Did they hurt you during the time you were held captive by them?"

"Well, no, actually. The only one who actually did hurt me was Larxene...but I guess it's because even if they're Nobodies, the guys at least know not to hurt girls."

"Hmm," said Sora, tapping his chin. "Yeah, I remember that. You were trying to defend Riku...I mean the replica Riku, right?"

Naminé nodded. "A life is a life, even if we're only a copy or part of a person. That's what you taught me to believe in, Sora."

Sora blushed as he rubbed his nose with his index finger. "Aw, shucks, you're embarrassing me," he said, which made the other three teenagers laugh at him.

"Oh yeah, I was curious about something for the longest time, but I've only remembered it now," said Kairi, elbows on the table. "How did you end up meeting Riku?"

A tinge of pink spread across Naminé's cheeks at Kairi's question, and she smiled before replying, "Oh, that," she said. "Soon after I put Sora, Donald, Goofy and Jiminy in the sleeping pods, a man named DiZ approached me. He told me that Riku was going to come find me...and truth be told, I was terrified at that time," she confessed, both her hands clasped together.

She briefly remembered the moment DiZ told her that, and how the hollow inside her chest where her heart was supposed to be suddenly became uncomfortable to the point she could feel the blood pumping in her veins. Naminé's blush reddened when she remembered how she couldn't sleep when she anticipated the thought of finally _meeting_ Riku, face to face and not under the façade of Kairi in his dreams.

"You were...terrified?" Riku repeated, intrigued at this new finding. "Why?"

Naminé turned her eyes away from him. "I was afraid you were going to be mad at me. After all, you knew from DiZ that I was responsible for Sora's condition."

"But you had no choice, you were forced to do so by the Organization," he stated, eyes still fixed on her.

"Yes, but still I can't help but feel guilty about it," she mumbled. _And that's not the only reason..._

If Riku knew what kind of false memory she implanted in Sora and the replica Riku about their childhood...steam was pouring out of her ears at the mere thought of that promise!

"Well, we all forgive you," said Kairi with a bright smile, wrapping an arm around her sister's shoulders. "You don't have to feel bad about it anymore because you fixed the mess perfectly and no harm was done. It wasn't entirely your fault."

Naminé nodded and smiled back at Kairi. "Thank you."

"So what happened next?" asked Sora.

"Well, DiZ wanted us to move to Twilight Town where it was safer, and that was how I ended up there, slowly restoring memories until Riku managed to capture Roxas – which took a pretty long time – and that sped up the process. After that, it was just history, I suppose," said Naminé. "I was supposed to be disposed of after the memory restoration was complete."

Riku's eyes widened. "You knew about that?"

"I pretty much figured it out long before DiZ gave you the order. But when you told me to run away from Twilight Town, I knew I was right."

Kairi smiled to herself as she heard their story. "Aw, Riku, you're such a total sap," said Sora, poking at Riku's arm. "Admit it; you didn't want to 'get rid' of Naminé, so that's why you told her to run, right? Shucks, Riku, you're so caring." Riku went bright red in the face as he grabbed Sora's finger and twisted it. "Ow ow ow! Okay, I'm sorry!"

"Even if he was a smart-ass," said Riku after he released Sora's finger and the boy blew at it tenderly. "He had no right to say you're not supposed to exist. It's as easy as that."

Kairi smirked. "As easy as that, hmm?" she repeated with a sly grin. "Are you sure there's no other reason behind that?"

Riku felt flustered at the sudden attention. "Jeez, enough with it already...what about lunch?" he said, quickly changing the subject.

"Oh yeah, I am getting kinda hungry," said Sora, rubbing his stomach. "But I'm too lazy to leave this wonderfully air-conditioned house."

Kairi rolled her eyes, her lips in a pout as Riku had changed the subject so quickly – just when she was able to scoop something good out of him – and Naminé stood up. "I'll go over to Marty's joint and get us some burgers, since Mom won't be back until one o' clock. What do you guys want?" she asked.

"The mega burger for me, thanks," said Sora. "With fries and a soda – make it large."

Kairi sighed at Sora's ability to eat huge portions of food. "The usual for me – diet soda and a fish burger," she said.

"What about you, Riku?" Naminé asked, looking at him.

He turned up to look at her and felt uneasy all of a sudden. "Look...why don't I tag along?"

"Eh? It's just around the corner, you don't have to..." Naminé began, but he cut her off.

"I insist. C'mon, let's go."

Before Naminé could protest, he had already stood up and walked around to grab her arm and gently pull her towards the door. "Wait, my purse!" the other two heard Naminé say when they reached the doorway and Kairi merely giggled as she looked at Sora.

"I told you they'd make a great couple," she said after the doors closed. "It's kinda obvious that Riku cares for her, and I think Nami likes him too."

Sora shrugged. "Kairi, I don't understand how you can notice all this – but if it's interesting for you, I'm game," he said, and when he noticed the mischievous glint in her indigo-blue eyes, he raised his eyebrows. "I know that look...you're going to plan something, aren't you? Selphie was right...you really are one of those busy-body matchmaking types."

"Well, call me whatever you like, but Wakka is currently seeking _my_ advice on how to woo Lulu, so I'm not always in the wrong, okay?"

"Alright, alright...what's your plan for now?"

Kairi tapped her chin with her index finger. "For now...we'll wait and see."

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This would most probably be the second last flashback prompt, and next week's would be the last (although the flashback is shorter) before we move on to the High School arc. I would occasionally leave questions here for you guys to answer at certain turning points (e.g. what part time job should Riku have? – this is a question you can answer now if you like).

Please leave a review!


	10. 21 Scar

**Silver and Gold Crayons**

Fanfiction by Chiharu Tanaka

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A/n: I'm sorry I didn't update sooner! My semester isn't going as smoothly as I had planned when I said I'd update weekly. I'll try to update as much as I can, though in these turbulent times I can't promise anything. But I assure you I will not abandon this story because Namiku is my OTP.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts – it belongs to Tetsuya Nomura and Square-Enix.

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**021. Scar **

_There were some things in his past she didn't know._

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Naminé wondered how Sora, Kairi and Riku could ever tire of Destiny Islands, as she sat on the Paopu tree overlooking the vast sea as the sun was beginning to set. For a girl who was born in darkness and then lived encaged in a prison with white walls, Destiny Islands was more than she could ever hope for; with the salty breeze of the air that lingered everywhere, even in her slumber, the feeling of sand beneath her feet by the beach and of course, this breathtaking sunset that she saw everyday but never grew tired of.

Closing her eyes and putting her hands to her chest, she thanked Kingdom Hearts silently for giving her a heart – a chance for her to be human like everyone else; a chance to break free from the chains that bind her to her past as a Nobody. Although she will remain a part of Kairi for the rest of her life, she knew Kairi was a part of her as well. The soft, rhythmic breathings of her heart blended with the sound of the waves washing up on the shore and the gently swaying palm trees.

"Naminé."

She opened her eyes, already anticipating his presence when she sat there listening to the sea. "I can't believe we're starting school tomorrow," she mumbled softly, just as Riku hoisted himself onto the tree's bent trunk to sit beside her. Sora and Kairi were somewhere else on the Playground Island, enjoying the last day of summer together.

"You getting cold feet?" asked Riku with a smirk. "C'mon, you studied hard for this. You can't back out now – you're one of us."

Naminé wondered how she could have trusted – and gain this much trust – from him, especially after she had attempted to harm his best friend Sora (albeit unwillingly) and tried to take the place of Kairi. He was the first person, after Sora, to see her as a person and not a Nobody – the only difference was that Sora chose to forget her at one point, but he didn't.

"You're right," she replied with a sigh. "But still I'm getting butterflies in my stomach...like something potentially terrifying is about to happen."

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Potentially?"

"Yeah. Kind of like the time DiZ told me you were coming to see me. Well, technically you came to see Sora, didn't you? I hid behind his pod; fearing your reaction to Sora's state and what I've done to him. After all, you really care for him."

Riku smirked before giving a light chuckle. "Not that old story again," he said. "Well, you made amends and everything is fine now. You know we don't blame you for everything that's happened. But I understand the feeling of carrying that sin."

Naminé turned to look at him, watching as his silver hair glowed when hit by the rays of the setting sun, blowing gently in the wind. "Riku," she began, which caused him to turn to face her. "I've been meaning to say this to you for a long time." Her fingers fiddled slightly with the hem of her skirt. "Thank you. If it wasn't for you...I never would have realised how important it is to treasure my existence, and to forgive myself for what I've done."

His expression turned serious, before he turned back to look at the sea. "I'm not much of a sentimental guy, but you're welcome," he said, turning to face her with a smile. The blonde girl smiled back and they both turned to the sea, enjoying it in silence for a few more minutes. "Oh right, the Paopu season is about to be over," Riku suddenly said when he saw the yellow star-shaped fruit on the top of the bent tree they sat on. "Might as well enjoy one."

She watched as he stood on the tree trunk and climbed up it to pluck the large fruit with ease. When he was done he resumed his original sitting position, nonchalantly splitting the fruit in two with his hands and handing half to her. Naminé felt her cheeks burn as he began chewing at the sweet, ripe fruit. "Riku..." she began.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

Her eyebrows furrowed as her cheeks reddened. "You know what _sharing_ a Paopu fruit means, right?" She was flabbergasted by his action – after all just two years ago he was the firm believer of the Paopu legend.

"Of course. If two people share one their destinies will be forever intertwined. So?"

"So?" Naminé repeated. "Isn't that..." she mumbled, trailing off as she searched for the right word. "Sentimental?"

Riku almost choked when she said it, and swallowed his bite before replying. "Okay, but the Paopu legend isn't only for lovers as Destiny Islands say it is. Good friends – like Sora, Kairi and I – have our destinies intertwined, and the fact that we were scattered throughout various worlds doing what we never would've imagined whilst living here proves it. I'm pretty sure we shared some when we were kids."

Naminé wanted to slap herself right then and there. "You have a point..." she said, before looking back down at the fruit. 'Oh well, here goes nothing,' she thought before taking a bite. Once the two of them were finished, Riku hopped off the tree trunk.

"It's getting dark. Sora and Kairi are probably waiting for us at the pier," he said, extending a hand out to her to help her down from the tree. She took it and hopped down, and they walked over the wooden bridge, Riku slightly ahead of her.

While they were descending the steps from the hut one would have to pass through to get to the bridge, Naminé felt the sense of falling on one side with a loud snapping noise, before a searing pain shot up from her right foot. She let out a scream, looking down to see that her foot had gone through some worn-out wood, and the broken wood had scratched her ankle.

Riku turned around the moment he heard the wood break with her scream and approached her as she began crying. "Damn," he cursed. "Hold on, I'll get a first-aid kit..."

"No, it's okay...I'll try casting Cure," she said in between tears, flinching as she tried to remove her foot from the hole. Once she did, she let both her hands hover over the wound. "Cure," she said, but nothing happened. She tried again, but Riku scoffed and removed the white piece of cloth he always kept over his left hand. He bit on it to tear it down so it became a makeshift bandage, before taking off her sandal.

"I told you," he said, looking for any obvious splinters before wrapping the cloth around her ankle like gauze. "If magic existed here like it did in other worlds, don't you think we'd have discovered it? Hold this; I'll get the kit at the cupboard."

Riku left momentarily to get the first-aid kit in the cupboard in the hut, before coming back down to sit at one step below the one Naminé was sitting on. He opened the box and pulled out the antiseptic, forceps and bandages. As he placed the soaked cloth on the step, he took more gauze and waited for her ankle to stop bleeding by pressing on it with his left hand and the other around her shoulders as she sobbed. Once it stopped, Naminé's cries died down and he began cleaning the wound with antiseptic.

"This is going to sting a little," he said. She flinched at the sting of the solution, but Riku was quick and efficient at his work, almost as if he had done it a million times. Once the bandages were wrapped and secured over her ankle, he looked up at her face and saw that her eyes were still red.

"Thank you," she said to him.

"Anytime," he replied. "These stairs are getting old. I should probably inform the Mayor."

It was when Naminé saw the horizontal scar over the back of Riku's hand, over the wrist area that her eyes widened slightly. "Riku...where did you get that scar?" she asked.

He raised his hand and looked at it. "Oh, this? Well, let's just say I was being a naughty boy and tried out my father's machete at the back of the house when everyone was asleep. I got this when I swung against a rock and it flew...well, you've seen how I raise my other arm when I fight. Naturally it hit my hand...and yeah. That's the story."

"I never knew..." she mumbled, assuming that she had known all their memories when Sora stepped into Castle Oblivion. "I guess there are some memories even I don't know of."

"It's not really a big deal to me, maybe that's why you missed it," he replied as he finished packing the first-aid kit. "I just cover it so that people would stop asking."

Riku turned to the cracks in the wooden hut to see the darkness outside. "C'mon," he said. "I'll give you a piggyback ride." Naminé was mortified, but she had no choice as walking wasn't an option. She took the used first-aid kit with one hand and her sandal in the other before letting Riku carry her on his back. She buried her face in his shoulder, smothering herself in his silver hair as he exited the stairway and walked towards the pier.

"You okay back there?" he asked, looking down at her dangling foot to check if it was bleeding again.

Naminé mumbled an 'Uh-huh,' as the sun set completely, leaving the sky a mixture of blue-black night sky dusted with stars and becoming yellow-red towards the horizon. Sora and Kairi are going to freak at her injured ankle – this before school began no less – but she knew Sora had a stash of Potions in his house she could use to heal her ankle.

_I'm okay. Everything is okay...because you're here and because you, Sora and Kairi are here – I am no longer a Nobody._

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This chapter marks the end of the 'Flashback Arc' of this 50-chapter prompt-based fanfic. Next up is the 'High School Arc', of which for the next 10 chapters will delve into Riku and Naminé's (of course with a little Sora and Kairi too) high school life.

The poll for Riku and Naminé's daughter's name is still on, and I'm extending the date until 31st December 2010 as planned. Please vote for your favourite!

Please leave a review!


	11. 49 Insecure

**Silver and Gold Crayons**

Fanfiction by Chiharu Tanaka

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A/n: I'm sort-of following the Japanese school system, despite Spanish being a legit subject in the school. Think of it as how Japanese kids have English class.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts – it belongs to Tetsuya Nomura and Square-Enix.

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**049. Insecure **

_First day of school, and she feels left out._

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Naminé was dressed in her normal clothes once again when she sat at the dinner table that night, and as her mother asked her how her first day at school was, she was left with a moment of silence to answer that question.

That morning, she looked at herself in the mirror and there was a complete stranger staring back at her. It wasn't that she never tried on her school uniform prior to that morning, but when she had put on the complete ensemble – the white shirt, the plaited blue skirt, the tie, the socks and shoes – it made her happy. Even though it was a uniform; something she associated with Organization XIII, she was aware that she was going to Destiny High and that she was going to be just like everyone else. That alone made her happy enough – the fact that she was now a normal girl and not an unwanted Nobody.

She walked to school with Kairi, met up with Selphie, Sora and Riku on the way to Destiny High. She had to admit, seeing Sora in his uniform was rather humorous, as the spiky-haired boy still looked a little too childish (even if he did save the world in three-quarter shorts) to be wearing long pants. Her blue eyes lingered towards Riku, who nonchalantly held his schoolbag over his shoulder, dangling by his fingertips. "Morning," he said to her with a smile.

"Good morning," she returned the greeting with a smile of her own. She had a feeling it was going to be a good day – but she soon noticed she was wrong.

The moment they check their names at the notice board in front of the school, to see where their classes were, Kairi and Naminé gave out a large gasp that made every one turn towards them. The two Castell sisters were separated – Kairi was in Class 2-A with Selphie and Sora, while Naminé was in 2-C with Riku. Tidus was in between – he was in 2-B and Wakka, being a grade above them, was in 3-B.

Naminé frowned. "Don't worry, Nami," said Kairi, reassuring her. "At least Riku's in the same class as you."

True, Kairi did have a point in that, she knew, and so they walked their separate ways after reaching the second floor of the classroom building. "So...where do we sit?" Naminé asked tentatively. She had to process a large amount of memory during restoration of one person's memories, but it did not mean that she remembered them all.

"You can sit anywhere you like. Take your pick, the class is pretty empty since we came early, so you better choose before the others come," said Riku.

Naminé eyed the seat next to the window and hurried towards it, since it was right in the middle of class – not too much to the back that she could easily lose focus, but not too upfront that she could be a prime target for the teacher. Riku followed her and placed his bag right behind hers. "I had a feeling you'd go for the window seat," he told her.

"And why is that?"

"Even back then, you had a thing for windows," he said, which made her laugh a little.

Homeroom was first, since she did not have to attend the ceremony for the first years (the 10th graders). Their homeroom teacher was a beautiful blond-haired lady with glasses by the name of Quistis Trepe, and she spoke with a very elegant voice. She told them that she would be teaching English, which coincidentally was right after their homeroom period. They were to read a chapter off the book 'Odyssey' by Homer.

"Okay, Miss Castell, would you like to read page 8 for us?" she asked out of the blue.

Flustered, the entire class turned to look at her as she slowly rose from her seat. Her hands were shaking when she started reading the book in a trembling voice. Some of the naughtier kids in the class started snickering, but a stern glare from Ms. Trepe quickly shut them up. Once she finished, she sat down and was thanked by Ms. Trepe. "Not bad," she heard Riku whisper from behind, yet despite him trying to please her, she knew she embarrassed herself. Plus, now that everyone in class was wondering who she was and how she was related to Kairi (her 'sister' was apparently popular in school, and it didn't help that she looked exactly like Kairi, minus the hair colour).

"You're Naminé Castell, right?" asked one of the girls in her class after English period ended, just before Math began as the students waited for the next teacher. The said girl had short blond hair combed back (which reminded Naminé a little too much of Larxene) and brown eyes. Her two friends stood behind her, one an eerily beautiful and expressionless pale girl with black hair and dark green eyes, the other was a confident-looking girl with wavy strawberry blond hair to her waist, thin-framed spectacles and a smirk across her face.

"Y...yes," she said, looking at the three (rather intimidating) girls.

"So Mom was right. The Mayor adopted another girl," said the girl. "And you look just like Kairi, too. You could even pass as twins! Say, are you really her twin, by any chance?"

"I...I guess so," said Naminé.

"Guess so?" asked the girl, and the other blond girl behind her began snickering, covering her mouth elegantly with one hand. "Then I _guess_ it's true what they say about Kairi, then."

Riku suddenly stood from his seat and glared at the three girls, frightening them. "Get back to your seats, Mr. Willis is here," he told them, and the girls turned around to see the teacher, before scurrying back to their seats. Naminé got up and greeted the teacher like the rest of the class, then sat back down. A few minutes later, she felt a tap and turned around to see Riku handing her a folded piece of note.

_Don't talk to those girls._ That was all the note said.

She scribbled down on the note. _Why?_ And handed it back to Riku.

_Because they're bullies. They used to tease Kairi quite a lot, but I think they're making you their new target._

Naminé later learned that these girls were known as Sarah LeBlanc (the Larxene look-a-like), Edea Kramer (the gothic beauty) and Jihl Nabaat (the bespectacled vixen), with Sarah as their leader. During lunch break, Kairi explained that the girls did not 'bully' in broad daylight, but rather did a lot of bad things, particularly in gym class. This was because Sarah was head cheerleader ("Don't get me wrong, not all cheerleaders are bad. It's just girls like Sarah who spoil the profession,"), the Kramer's were the richest people in Destiny Islands ("Her father practically sponsors many of our school events") and that Jihl was part of the student council and had more influence than the president himself, enabling her to cover up any misdeeds Sarah got into.

"And I have another bad news for you, Nami," said Kairi as they ate lunch together in 2-A since the boys were all down at the cafeteria. "Sarah has a crush...of sorts...on Riku. She's never made a move, but I have sources who told me so."

"By sources, you mean Selphie?" said Naminé with a giggle. "But why is that bad news?"

Kairi slapped her forehead. "Oh, dear, I forgot that you've never lived through high school drama. Well, basically it's because you hang out with Riku a lot. Before I started dating Sora, the three of us hung out together, so Sarah targeted me because I was close to Riku. Now that I've declared that Sora's my boyfriend...well...you're her next target now. Don't worry, I'll make sure I do everything to protect you."

Naminé smiled sadly. She had been slapped, ridiculed and tossed aside by people way more menacing and not to mention more dangerous than a silly high school girl. "I've dealt with Heartless and Nobodies. I think I can handle a bunch of girls."

Kairi bit her lower lip. "If you say so."

Gym class was in the afternoon, and Kairi was right in warning her against the three girls. What began as a simple game of volleyball ended up horribly when the tough white ball hit Naminé (she wasn't very athletic) right on the forehead. "Oh my god!" screamed Sarah as she hurried to the collapsed Naminé. "I'm like...so sorry."

Naminé felt groggy as the taller girl pulled her up to sit and managed to whisper a threat to her. "Riku's mine, so hands off my man, you dirty bitch."

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she bit her lip and held it back, the way she always did when Larxene slapped her, just for fun. As the gym teacher hurried to her to inspect for any injuries, she said she was fine, when in actual fact her forehead was throbbing – and on the other side of the gym, she felt Riku's eyes upon her.

_I guess I never thought about it...of course other girls would like him. But to this extent, when I haven't done anything wrong?_

She was sent to the school nurse eventually, accompanied by a girl who sat next to her in class named Eiko, who was a little talkative but sweet nonetheless. After taking some aspirin and putting a small bandage to her head, Naminé was told to rest.

"What an eventful first day, huh?"

The low voice startled Naminé and she got up, seeing Riku standing there with an unfathomable expression on his face. "Yeah," she said. "I feel bad that I can't use a Cure spell here since you know...it'll be weird."

"Come, let's get out of here. It's already 3, and the others have gone off without us."

Naminé checked the clock to see that it indeed showed a quarter past three in the afternoon. Quickly she got out of bed, and Riku walked with her the rest of the way home (despite his house being nearer to the school than hers, he insisted that he walked her all the way back). She bid him goodbye and was later bombarded by Kairi regarding the bruise on her forehead. The redhead was fuming at the end of her story. "Why that no good...if I ever get my hands on her, I'll..."

"Kairi."

"Oh, sorry," she said with a grin. "Getting carried away."

Looking back at the events that happened in that one day, Naminé (who explained to her parents that she fell during gym) smiled a little at response to her mother's question. This was the life she fought to live, and nothing was going to stop her.

"I feel a bit left out, but I think I'll be fine."

* * *

I may/may not continue, but I will try for this one despite my 'hiatus' notice at my profile.

Please leave a review!


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